Mismatched? or busted...?

[Charley]

I just purchased a set of Audio Tech ProPoly speakers.
Max 250 watts
20 Hz to 22KHz
96DB
8 ohms
12" Poly cone woofer
I am hooking them to a Yamaha RX397. The output is 130 watts.
The speakers sound as though they are ripped, but visual inspections prove otherwise. At very low volume, sound is very tinny, unexpected with bass and treble leveled at mid range, Loudness at half also.
If I apply about 10 to 15% volume, ok (but tinny, hollow) sound, if I increase the volume, the flappy sound and massive distortion starts, sounds horrible!! If I apply some pressure to the woofer, the sound miraculously improves 300% and I can get sufficient, good quality sound enough to perk the neighbour's ears up.
Any clue as to my next move? I am a carpenter, mechanic and unseasoned programmer with very little electronics experience, but willing to roll up my sleeves.
Any help would be appreciated.

CHeers

Charley

 

[fmw]

Normal listening only requires about 10 watts of power, much less if you have a subwoofer. If you want things that loud you need to invest in commercial sound reinforcement equipment. If it is not that loud, then you have some poor sounding speakers.

The "power" rating has nothing to do with how much power you need to give it. It is a measure of how much power is required to break it.

 

[Swerd]

If I apply about 10 to 15% volume, ok (but tinny, hollow) sound, if I increase the volume, the flappy sound and massive distortion starts, sounds horrible!!

If I apply some pressure to the woofer, the sound miraculously improves 300% and I can get sufficient, good quality sound enough to perk the neighbour's ears up.

That sounds like a damaged woofer voice coil, or a damaged connection between the voice coil and woofer cone.

Someone sold you damaged goods. Return them.

 

[Eppie]

I would agree with Swerd. If you push on the cone and the woofer starts to work, probably a bad voice coil, which is not repairable. You can check the copper braided wire on the back of the speaker that goes from the speaker terminal to the voice coil, but beyond that a damaged voice coil requires replacing the entire cone and voice coil assembly. Try the Yamaha on some working speakers to make sure it is ok. Running the receiver on damaged speakers could damage the amplifier if the coils are shorted out internally.

 

[Charley]

dang it.... thanks for the feedback, fellers. Is it worth swapping the woofers? I have an another receiver I need to unpack and try, but I believe you chaps are correct in the faulty speakers. One seems a lot worse than the other, but that just means the other is on it's way out.
I will probably replace the woofers as the seller is long gone... clearly I am the victim of yet another kijiji scumbag. Feeling the pinch, no one needs to rub that in... thanks!

Charley

 

[highfigh]

I just purchased a set of Audio Tech ProPoly speakers.
Max 250 watts
20 Hz to 22KHz
96DB
8 ohms
12" Poly cone woofer
I am hooking them to a Yamaha RX397. The output is 130 watts.
The speakers sound as though they are ripped, but visual inspections prove otherwise. At very low volume, sound is very tinny, unexpected with bass and treble leveled at mid range, Loudness at half also.
If I apply about 10 to 15% volume, ok (but tinny, hollow) sound, if I increase the volume, the flappy sound and massive distortion starts, sounds horrible!! If I apply some pressure to the woofer, the sound miraculously improves 300% and I can get sufficient, good quality sound enough to perk the neighbour's ears up.
Any clue as to my next move? I am a carpenter, mechanic and unseasoned programmer with very little electronics experience, but willing to roll up my sleeves.
Any help would be appreciated.

CHeers

Charley

Remove the woofer and post a photo of the back, including the flange. I'm not aware of many companies in Canada that actually manufacturer speaker components, so it may be from a US-based brand. It should have a 6 digit code, the first three numbers showing the manufacturer and the last are for the date.

If it's from a well-known brand, it may be possible to replace the cone assembly.

 

[Charley]

Remove the woofer and post a photo of the back, including the flange. I'm not aware of many companies in Canada that actually manufacturer speaker components, so it may be from a US-based brand. It should have a 6 digit code, the first three numbers showing the manufacturer and the last are for the date.

If it's from a well-known brand, it may be possible to replace the cone assembly.

When I get home tonight I shall do that, HighFigh. Canada doesn't really make anything any longer, besides a series of questionable decisions... However, there are a few places around my area that I could hit up for parts, or speakers... depending on what I need to do.

 

[Eppie]

When I get home tonight I shall do that, HighFigh. Canada doesn't really make anything any longer, besides a series of questionable decisions... However, there are a few places around my area that I could hit up for parts, or speakers... depending on what I need to do.

Paradigm, PSB and Funk Audio may have something to say about that , but you might also find another pair AudioTech on-line to use for parts if the price is right. In general, I prefer to use CanuckAudioMart for anything audio related. They have a rating system and user forums and my experiences there have been good so far. With kijiji you want to be able to hear the gear first whenever possible.

 

[lovinthehd]

Audio Tech brand I'm not familiar with and not finding much, but did see it listed as a White Van type speaker brand.....

 

[Pogre]

Audio Tech brand I'm not familiar with and not finding much, but did see it listed as a White Van type speaker brand.....

Uh oh...

I actually got approached in a parking lot by a couple of those guys when I was in my 20s. I didn't know any better and might have even bit if I'd had the money. Sneaky bastards. I wish someone would try it on me today.

 

[TLS Guy]

I just purchased a set of Audio Tech ProPoly speakers.
Max 250 watts
20 Hz to 22KHz
96DB
8 ohms
12" Poly cone woofer
I am hooking them to a Yamaha RX397. The output is 130 watts.
The speakers sound as though they are ripped, but visual inspections prove otherwise. At very low volume, sound is very tinny, unexpected with bass and treble leveled at mid range, Loudness at half also.
If I apply about 10 to 15% volume, ok (but tinny, hollow) sound, if I increase the volume, the flappy sound and massive distortion starts, sounds horrible!! If I apply some pressure to the woofer, the sound miraculously improves 300% and I can get sufficient, good quality sound enough to perk the neighbour's ears up.
Any clue as to my next move? I am a carpenter, mechanic and unseasoned programmer with very little electronics experience, but willing to roll up my sleeves.
Any help would be appreciated.

CHeers

Charley

Those are known White Van scam speakers and worthless. You have been had.

 

[Charley]

Paradigm, PSB and Funk Audio may have something to say about that , but you might also find another pair AudioTech on-line to use for parts if the price is right. In general, I prefer to use CanuckAudioMart for anything audio related. They have a rating system and user forums and my experiences there have been good so far. With kijiji you want to be able to hear the gear first whenever possible.

I will definitely look those folks up! Made in Canada! way to go!!
friggin white vans.... makes me wanna sell my van! I was gonna post a pic of the back of the speaker. File too large, but right next to the made in China sticker is a stamp. GW-212/8.
First thing I saw on CanuckAudioMart is.... a set of these speakers!
Grr

 

[lovinthehd]

Might refer to this https://www.goldwood.com/goldwood-sound-gw-212-8-oem-12-woofer-240-watts-8ohm-replacement-speaker/

 

[TLS Guy]

Might refer to this https://www.goldwood.com/goldwood-sound-gw-212-8-oem-12-woofer-240-watts-8ohm-replacement-speaker/

Those are the drivers. I would caution against purchase and replacement, as the crossover may prove lethal to his receiver. We have no idea what sort of a hack job they have made of that.

You have to be suspicious of every aspect of White Van Speakers.

 

[Charley]

I shall put the speaker back together and try some more to get my money back. Probably best to go back to my original plan and just build my own speakers. Maybe keep what's good here and wire it properly? Thoughts?

 

[highfigh]

Audio Tech brand I'm not familiar with and not finding much, but did see it listed as a White Van type speaker brand.....

I know someone who was looking for new speakers and he got a pair to test from someone he worked with. Asked my to check them out and when I got to his house, I looked at the name- 'Denmark Speakers'. They looked good- very nice cabinets, even looked like drivers from Vifa/Peerless or someone similar (it was years ago and I don't remember exactly which drivers) but the one thing I did know about them- there was almost no midrange. I could understand if they wanted the bass & treble to be noticeable, but that was ridiculous.

 

[TLS Guy]

I shall put the speaker back together and try some more to get my money back. Probably best to go back to my original plan and just build my own speakers. Maybe keep what's good here and wire it properly? Thoughts?

Judging by the quality of the woofer, I would highly doubt there is anything worth saving.

What is your budget to build a set of speakers?

 

[mono-bloc]

White van speaker scans have been round for years and years .and it's a world wide scam. Works on the line of "We have these left over from a job, an you can have them of a discount" Of cause there named closely to something of a well established brand, Even have a colorful brochure, They mostly work with a system Speakers and AVR's, Some even offer a projector There's a long thread here all about it HTTPS://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1249495 If it is a white van special, It's hardly worth the cost of repair, as it's value is about $10 when the suns out. On the subject of broken / non-working speaker coils, easiest way to test is hold a Triple A battery across the terminals , for a few seconds, if it's OK you should hear a pop, as it energizes the coil. In the event of it not working, there are companies around that do replacement coils. Check your local phone book or Google, for your part of the world.

 

[Eppie]

I will definitely look those folks up! Made in Canada! way to go!!
friggin white vans.... makes me wanna sell my van! I was gonna post a pic of the back of the speaker. File too large, but right next to the made in China sticker is a stamp. GW-212/8.
First thing I saw on CanuckAudioMart is.... a set of these speakers!
Grr

Funk Audio is a boutique brand in BC. Gorgeous stuff but very expensive. Fun to look at though. Paradigm and PSB have been around for a long time. Some of the lower end lines get manufactured abroad but the higher end speakers are made locally. I have two pairs of Paradigms at home and have been happy with them. Their Monitor series starts at $360 for the Atom bookshelf or $430 for the 300F tower.

I see plenty of Paradigms on Facebook Marketplace, though. If you could find a pair of Titans, Atoms or Monitors they are not too expensive second hand. If you want something really good second hand, look for Paradigm Studio. I see Studio 60 and 100 towers now and then but they will cost more than new Monitor series.

If you go DIY, do plenty of research first. There are very many designs out there. Easiest is to find a speaker kit that includes the drivers and the crossovers already assembled and comes with plans for the cabinets. There are some kits on the Solen web site (from Quebec) and also Meniscus in the U.S. that can range from $170 to $2200 so lots of options out there.

 

[lovinthehd]

I know someone who was looking for new speakers and he got a pair to test from someone he worked with. Asked my to check them out and when I got to his house, I looked at the name- 'Denmark Speakers'. They looked good- very nice cabinets, even looked like drivers from Vifa/Peerless or someone similar (it was years ago and I don't remember exactly which drivers) but the one thing I did know about them- there was almost no midrange. I could understand if they wanted the bass & treble to be noticeable, but that was ridiculous.

All the "brand" need do is make use of a little bit of sense/recognition....